Restaurant fined for temperature violations

SOUTH BEND -- Perkins Family Restaurant on Dixie Way was fined $1,200 and placed on probation during a St. Joseph County health officer's hearing Thursday afternoon.

The hearing was called after four inspections found numerous critical and non-critical violations at the 423 S. Dixie Way restaurant, according to health department staff reports.

Critical violations centered around the temperature of raw meat, cheese and fruit in prep stations and kitchen refrigerators found May 28 and 31, where raw bacon was determined to be so warm -- an internal temperature of 63.2 degrees Fahrenheit -- that it was thrown out at the time of inspection to remedy the situation, according to the report.

Dr. Tom Felger, the county health officer, said he was alarmed by the repeat violations.

"One of our main jobs is protecting the public," Felger said today. "I'm surprised you haven't made the news before for causing an infection, because that's what these temperatures are producing."

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Owner and manager David Ebbole was present at the meeting, and store manager Luisa Chavez and area manager Sandy Crocker talked through the violations and changes made in the restaurant.

Rita Hooton, food service director for the health department, said the first recent inspection for Perkins was in April. It was a routine inspection, and the food service inspection officer found several violations and did a follow-up inspection May 13.

When things weren't corrected at that inspection, food service inspection officer Sara Schaefer visited the restaurant May 28, and then again May 31, after many critical and non-critical violations were repeated, according to her report.

Hooton said management at the restaurant knew of the return inspection on May 28 -- an inspection in which the business had four critical violations and 13 non-critical violations, 10 of them repeat offenses from earlier inspections.

The business owners and management agreed to close voluntarily when asked by Felger and Hooton on June 4, Hooton said, and the restaurant reopened June 6 after a clean inspection, according to department documents.

"I'm astounded at the number of repeat offenses," Felger said. "I think it means that we didn't quite get your attention the first time."

Chavez and Crocker both said operations and daily schedules have changed, reflecting more cleaning time and inspection time for both the managers and kitchen staff.

Crocker said there are twice-annual inspections on every piece of equipment, and with inspections done every shift by managers, any problems should be caught and corrected right away.

New daily shift inspections include taking food temperatures, examining equipment and checking over general upkeep of the business, according to Crocker.

Chavez, one of the certified food handlers for the restaurant, said she has explained to staff members the rules for keeping food chilled, which should eliminate further violations, she said.

"We have spoken with the cooks to make sure they are keeping the food cold and making sure the (freezer and refrigerator) doors are shut," she said.

Staff members also have a daily and weekly cleaning list, which comes after health inspectors found ice and grease buildup on surfaces in the kitchen. New kitchen equipment has also been bought, after inspectors found cooks reusing teriyaki sauce bottles for butter -- something not allowed by health department code.

Health department administrator Nick Molchan also told employees to take time inspecting their own restaurant -- before health department staff arrives.

"Under the best circumstances, we aren't the ones finding these (violations)," Molchan said. "They are being found by the people there and are corrected so we don't have to find them on inspections."

Felger said the issues found on inspections were significant because of the repetition.

"We're looking at temperature issues going as far back as May 13, and dust and gasket issues going back as far as October 2012," he explained.

Both Chavez and Crocker said the restaurant staff would now be under more control.

"We're going to have to be more vigilant with the work we're doing," Crocker said.

Perfect inspections

The county health department staff lists perfect inspection recipients each month on its Facebook page.

For May, perfect inspections included:-- Sonic on Douglas Road in Mishawaka;-- Blondie's Cookies in University Park Mall in Mishawaka;-- Arby's on Main Street in Mishawaka;-- Berry Star Café in University Park Mall in Mishawaka;-- Five Guys Burgers and Fries outside of University Park Mall in Mishawaka;-- Papa Joe's on Union Street in Mishawaka;-- Satay House on McKinley Avenue in Mishawaka; and-- The Pitt Stop Pub on 12th Street in Mishawaka.

For previous months' listings of perfect inspections in St. Joseph County, visit www.facebook.com/stjosephcountyhealth/notes.